Showcase: Campbell Whyte's 8-bit Dream Series

(Click on any of the images for full-size)

Zelda 2: The Adventures of Link, Urban Champion, T&C Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage

Spy vs. Spy, Spy Hunter, Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt

Rygar, Rush'n Attack, Rampage

Paperboy, Metroid, Metal Gear

Megaman, Maniac Mansion, Legend of Zelda

Kid Icarus, Karnov, Joust

Ikari Warriors 2, Ice Climber, Goonies II

Ghosts and Goblins, Fester's Quest, Faxanadu

ExciteBike, DuckTales, Double Dragon

Donkey Kong, Contra, Castlevania II

Castlevania, Bubble Bobble, Bionic Commando

Adventures of Bayou Billy, Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach, Adventure Island

Browsing through Campbell Whyte's "8-bit Dreams" NES illustrations was an experience rife with intense nostalgia. The images I've selected and shared here are a fraction of the dozens that he's done to date, and I chose these ones specifically because I owned each and every one back in the day. In fact, the first handful of games I had for the Nintendo were Urban Champion, T&C Surf, Bandai Golf, and Adventure Island... Games that I once played with a passion (yes, even Bandai Golf) but haven't even thought about in decades.

Beyond the impressive scope of Campbell Whyte's undertaking (apparently, to illustrate each and every Nintendo game ever produced), what I love about this series is the personality inherent in each piece, borne from an obvious familiarity with these games. If Whyte's goal here was to inspire people to go back and play all of these games for old-time's sake, then he's definitely succeeded.

[Campbell Whyte -
8-bit Dreams]

Mega Man Tribute

Udon Entertainment recently called on artists, illustrators and designers to contribute entries to their Mega Man Tribute art contest in honour of the iconic little blue bomber's 22-year history, with the winner's piece appearing in a limited-edition tribute book being presented at the 2011 San Diego Comicon.

The contest closed on February 4th, 2011, and while the winner has yet to be announced, some of the pieces submitted are genuinely phenomenal. Take a look below for a few of my favourites, and as always, click on each image for a full-res version.

Mega Man, The Blue Avenger by Ilias Patlis

Fantastic Four #26, Donkey-Kongified

"Fantastic Four #26", by Anthony Vukojevich

Covered is a blog featuring reinterpretations of classic (and sometimes not-so-classic) comic book covers by a number of artists. There's some excellent work to be seen there, notably Anthony Vukojevich's classic videogame-inspired rehashing of Jack Kirby and Sol Brodsky's cover of Fantastic Four #26 (check out the original here for comparison.)

Gaming Triptych: 5x5 MegaMan, Metroid, Mario (Alexander S. Shen)

"rock, man." by Alexander S. Shen

"it's a girl" by Alexander S. Shen

"italian plumber" by Alexander S. Shen

As always, clicking on the images above will take you to a larger version.

So Analog by Squid Kids Ink.

(Click for larger image)

These are super rad. Meet 10-Doh!, B-Side, and A-Drive, three prototype vinyl figures from Squid Kids Ink. They'll be debuting at DesignerCon 2010 in Pasadena, CA on November 20th. Sadly, since these are only prototypes, they won't be for sale - though there may be a few blanks available for purchase at the Con.

My love of vinyls is well-documented and I can think of nothing better than seeing the So Analog series earn itself a solo custom show (with the exception of maybe owning a few of them). So if you're in the Pasadena area on the 20th of November and you happen to stop by D-Con, make sure you give these sculpts the proper adulation they deserve - and if you so happen to feel like grabbing a blank 10-Doh! for me at the same time, well, I wouldn't turn my nose up at it.

[So Analog, by Squid Kids Ink]

I AM 8-BIT

Sean Clarity, Peter Gronquist, Gabe Swarr
(click image for full-sized version)

Another day, another reason to move to Los Angeles. Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight, located at 7020 Melrose Ave. in L.A., is hosting the second annual I AM 8-BIT exhibition, and... wow. The first series was pretty neat, but this new one is amazing. So much videogame love.

Michael Gagne, Martin Ontiveros
(click image for full-sized version)

The list of contributors is a veritable who's-who of the contemporary pop surrealism scene: Tim Biskup, Steve Purcell, Jim Mahfood, Luke Chueh, Gary Baseman, Brandon Bird, and dozens more. Who knew that Nintendo was so universal and profoundly influential? Most works draw their inspiration either from the NES roster (Super Mario Bros, Megaman, Metroid) or from the earlier Atari era (Pacman, Asteroids, Donkey Kong,) with few if any references beyond the late '80s. A handful even comment on the nature of videogaming itself.

Jose Emroca Flores, Love Ablan, Yosuke Ueno
(click image for full-sized version)

If you live in or near L.A., you could do worse than to plan a visit to Nineteen Eighty-Eight this weekend. If you don't, you're still in luck. The first I AM 8-BIT collection has been collected and recently published by Chronicle Books, and is readily available at Amazon.com. At under $15 USD, the book is stupidly affordable and you really owe it to yourself to add it to your own library.

Link: I AM 8-BIT website.
Link: Gallery Nineteen Eighty-Eight.
Link: I AM 8-BIT: Art Inspired by Classic Videogames of the '80s at Amazon.

(note: All above photos were originally posted at Vinyl Pulse, an art blog which I heartily endorse and recommend. I cropped them and did some other minor tweaks for presentation's sake but all credit goes to Vinyl Pulse and the original photographer.)